Letters To The Editor

September 21, 2002

Right time for atomic series?

I feel for Jim Lyerly (Daily Press Life section series, Sept. 15-18).

I think most people are aware that questionable testing and activities have occurred in the military. However, I can't help but question the Daily Press' timing of this article. We Americans need to be united, especially in light of the current world situation. Hearing about this sort of stuff can only create feelings of doubt and mistrust for our government and our leaders.

I have a family member who also suffers due to his military service and I really do have empathy for Lyerly. Yes, his story needs to be told, but maybe not right now.

Laurie Mercer

Yorktown

Golf and governor

Clearly life as we know it shouldn't come to an end simply because the commonwealth of Virginia is experiencing a recession-induced revenue shortfall.

Accordingly, marketing Virginia as a wonderful place to do business at the Michelob Championship to the tune of $180,000 is OK, providing the money is truly an investment in economic development and not a political payback to the governor's corporate campaign, inaugural supporters and other political cronies.

Accordingly, following the PGA Championship, there should be a full, public accounting of how the money was actually spent and a complete published guest list.

Jon Spinnanger

Williamsburg

Earth Summit

The people at the Earth Summit are phonies who are stealing from their own people and countries. Not investing in their infrastructures is the main problem.

They must ask, "What's right with America? What can we do to bring our people into the first-world economy and standard of living?"

Rachele D. Burruss

Hayes

Refund delay

Having filed my Virginia taxes in March, is it inappropriate to expect the calculated refund by this date?

I recall past years when refunds were timely, and once when I made an error not in my favor, being called and informed of the problem and its resolution. That was service.

Now when inquiring, I sense being treated like an intruder. My latest call, my second, resulted in something about problems with forms and them needing to be sent to one office and then another for resolution.

Is my experience an isolated one or are others experiencing the same delay regarding refunds?

Hale Castleman

Williamsburg

Gun ownership

I would like to point out the serious misconceptions that gun-control advocates relay to the uninformed public, specifically the lie that private ownership of guns creates crime.

In truth, private gun ownership prevents crime. In fact, armed citizens prevent 3.6 million crimes every year. About 34 percent of all incarcerated felons were caught because of armed citizens.

Gun-control advocates try to hide the fact that in the United States, where nearly 50 percent of households are armed, 13 percent of burglaries occur while the residents are at home.

In contrast, in England, where the citizens have been disarmed, 50 percent of all burglaries occur while the residents are still at home.

Most criminals agree that they are more afraid of the possibility of private citizens owning guns then they are of the police.

Going even further, 17 states, including the District of Columbia, that do not have concealed-weapons permits have a violent crime rate that is 81 percent higher than other states that do allow citizens to carry concealed weapons.

Israeli killings of unarmed Palestinian civilians included seven youths, the youngest being age 6. All killings happened after Aug. 18, when Israel proposed and Palestinians agreed to a cooling-off period while Israel withdrew from some Palestinian territory and Palestinians assumed security responsibilities and stopped suicidal attacks.

During the cooling off period, there were no suicide attacks and not a single Israeli was killed by Palestinians.

Israel will never accept a cease-fire or just peace, as that would deny its goal of annexing all Palestinian territories.

During these "cooling off" periods, Israel continues aggression unabated until prompting a violent Palestinian response, then cries, "See, there can be no peace with terrorists."

William T. Corbett

Hampton

Festival success

On Sept. 7, the East End Community Association (formerly Southeast Community Day Association) had its annual festival at the King-Lincoln Park.

The organization had been split in March. After reorganization, we had only a few days to prepare. Thanks to the city employees, community groups and other citizens for the part they played in making the festival a success. This is the way to bring a community together.